Amy's secret
by greysfan1804
Summary: When no one can get a hold of Amy, Sheldon is worried. When Penny reveals a secret that Amy told her, he is even more worried. Can he step up and help her when she needs him more than ever? Sheldon/Amy, Leonard/Penny Howard/Bernadette
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Big Bang Theory**

A/N: I don't know much about Amy's family life from home so this maybe AU. I had to write a Sheldon/Amy fic because there is way too few of them and way too many Sheldon/Penny!

Sheldon sighed as he sat his phone down again without getting any answer from the person he was trying to get ahold of. It was unusual for Amy not to answer any of his electronic communications.

"What's wrong?" Leonard asked coming into the living room and noticing Sheldon's confused expression

"I can't seem to get ahold of Amy" Sheldon said "we were going to hang out tonight but she sent me a text earlier saying that she was tired and just going to stay home"

"Well she probably just fell asleep" Leonard suggested

"I doubt it" Sheldon said frowning "she usually stays up half the night and she always wakes up when the phone rings"

Before Leonard could respond to that Penny came into the apartment.

"Hey Sheldon have you talked to Amy lately?" Penny asked

"Well that depends on your definition of lately" Sheldon said

"Oh my god" Penny said, getting frustrated "have you talked to her since leaving work?"

"No I have not" Sheldon answered, oblivious to Penny's frustration "I can't get ahold of her"

"Me either" Penny said looking worried "I have been trying for about an hour, she was supposed to come over to my place tonight"

"Am I missing something here" Leonard asked, turning to his girlfriend "is something going on with Amy?"

"Nothing that I am aware of" Sheldon answered "She told me she was tired and didn't feel like doing anything tonight"

"Well….." Penny said, looking unsure "Amy confided something in me and asked me not to tell anyone and I'm not saying it definitely has something to do with why she isn't answering, but I'm kind of worried that it could"

"You are not making any sense to me" Sheldon said "Why would Amy tell you something but not me?"

"Let's just say it was something that she was upset about" Penny said "and you are not the best at comforting people"

"Well that is just crazy talk" Sheldon said

"Hold on Sheldon" Leonard said interrupting him before he could lecture them on why he was good at comforting people "what did she tell you Penny?"

"I really don't think I should say" Penny said looking uncomfortable "I promised I wouldn't say anything to anyone and we really don't know what's going on yet"

"Well at least tell us if we should be worried" Sheldon said

"Maybe" Penny said "it bothers me that she doesn't answer, she always answers the phone when I call"

"Leonard please take me over to Amy's" Sheldon asked "I need to see if she is okay"

"Of course" Leonard said "I'm getting worried too"

"I'm going to go with you guys" Penny said, following them out of the apartment

* * *

><p>While they drove over to Amy's apartment, Sheldon kept trying to call her. After the fifth time of getting no answer he turned towards the back to give Penny a frustrated sigh.<p>

"Will you please just tell me what is going on?" Sheldon asked "is Amy in some kind of trouble?"

"How much do you know about Amy's childhood?" Penny asked

"Quit trying to change the subject" Sheldon snapped

"Seriously Sheldon just answer the question" Penny said

"I don't really know much" Sheldon answered "she never wants to talk about it much"

"Let me just say that she didn't have the best childhood" Penny said "especially with her dad"

"What are you trying to say Penny?" Leonard asked "did her dad hit her or something"

"Ummmm…." Penny said looking uncomfortable, not sure how to answer

"He did, didn't he?" Sheldon asked "why would she never tell me that"

"Okay, yes he did" Penny answered "and not just one time, I guess it was pretty bad. He's been in jail for years and she just found out recently that he got out and she's been really worried that he is going to track her down"

"Why would he come looking for her after all this time? Leonard asked

"Apparently she was the one who finally got him arrested" Penny said "her mom was too afraid to get them help so she did and he was pretty unhappy about it"

"I wish she would have told me about this" Sheldon said, clearly upset

"Well Sheldon come on" Penny said "you barely touch her, she cried for like ten minutes when she told me, can you really imagine yourself holding her while she cried?"

"Of course I can" Sheldon said, then noticing Leonard and Penny's disbelieving faces, he added "I know Amy and I don't have the most conventional relationship but I love her"

Leonard and Penny both looked surprised at his revelation, but before either of them could answer they were pulling into the parking lot of Amy's apartment complex. Sheldon pointed out her car in its parking spot as they walked to the door. When they got to the door of Amy's apartment, they knocked a few times without getting a response. Sheldon dug the key out that Amy had given him a while ago, and unlocked the door. The scene before them was shocking and all three of them walked in slowly taking it all in. The main room was a disaster, lamps and pictures frames knocked to the floor, one of the arm chairs was turned over, there was broken glass on the floor, papers strewn all over the place.

"Oh my god" Penny said, covering her mouth with her hand, tears filling her eyes "you guys come here"

"What is it?" Leonard asked as he and Sheldon walked towards Penny, stopping suddenly when they saw what she was staring at. Lying on the floor in the hallway that led to her bathroom, was Amy, unconscious, a small pool of blood surrounding her head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Big Bang Theory**

Leonard made his way slowly over to Amy, both Sheldon and Penny seemed to be frozen with shock. Once Leonard reached her, he gasped at what he saw. She had a large gash on her forehead which seemed to be where the majority of the blood was coming from. Her face was bruised as if someone had punched her numerous times, and there were scratches and bruises all over her arms. The rest of her body was covered with clothing but Leonard could only assume it looked as bad. Penny came rushing closer, tears now streaming down her face.

"Get me something to stop the bleeding from her head." Leonard said

"Okay." Penny said, turning to grab a towel from the kitchen, passing Sheldon who was standing there staring at Amy

"Sheldon!" Leonard shouted, trying to wake Sheldon up from his trance

Sheldon startled a little and then came closer; kneeling down next to Leonard as Penny came rushing in with the towel. Sheldon reached out and took it from her before Leonard grabbed it and started applying pressure to her head wound.

"Penny call 911," Sheldon said, suddenly in control of the situation "Leonard check to see if she has a pulse."

Sheldon sat very still while Leonard held two fingers against Amy's neck looking for her pulse, not even breathing himself until he saw relief flash across Leonard's face.

"She has a pulse," Leonard said "its weak but it's there."

"The ambulance is on its way," Penny said hanging up her phone "about 5 minutes away."

"Should we call the police?" Leonard asked, looking over at Sheldon as Penny knelt down on the other side of Amy and grabbed her hand

"I told the dispatch lady that Amy was attacked," Penny answered "they will call the police as well as the ambulance."

"How could someone do this to her?" Sheldon asked running the back of his free hand across her face

"I don't know buddy." Leonard said, putting a comforting hand on Sheldon's back

It seemed like an eternity before the ambulance got to Amy's apartment, but finally they heard someone knocking on the door and loudly announce that it was in fact the ambulance. Leonard rushed to the door letting the two EMT's into the apartment.

"She's right over here," Leonard said "she has a head wound that won't stop bleeding, I checked her pulse, and it's there but really weak."

Penny stood and moved out of the way as the two EMT's knelt down on either side of Amy, but Sheldon seemed unwilling to move. One of the EMT's checked Amy's pulse himself while the other one coaxed the towel out of Sheldon's hand so that he could check her head wound.

"Okay let's get her started on 2 liters of oxygen," one of the EMT's told the other "and cover that wound with some sterile gauze."

The EMT worked in silence for a minute, hooking up the oxygen and tending to the head wound, while the other ran down to the ambulance to get a stretcher. Once he returned they lifted Amy onto it and went to leave the apartment, Sheldon, Leonard and Penny all following. After they got Amy loaded into the back, one of the EMT's went around and got in the driver side, the other turned and looked at the three friends.

"Okay guys," He said "one of you can ride along with us, but I don't have room for all of you back here."

Penny started to step forward, assuming that Sheldon would not want to ride in the ambulance because of all the germs he was afraid of.

"What are you doing Penny?" Sheldon asked, stepping forward at the same time. "I will be riding with her."

"Oh, of course Sheldon," Penny said, stepping back "I just didn't think you would want to ride in an ambulance."

Sheldon climbed into the back of the ambulance and once the EMT had climbed in and slammed the door shut the ambulance took off with the sirens blaring and lights flashing. Leonard and Penny ran back to Leonard's car and jumped in, following the ambulance to the hospital. Inside the ambulance Sheldon sat staring at Amy as they sped along. He watched as the EMT took her vital signs, frowning when he got the reading. Sheldon reached for Amy's hand and held onto it, wishing more than anything that she would wake up. It wasn't long before they had reached the hospital and Sheldon was following the stretcher into the Emergency Room. He watched as the doctors and nurses descended on Amy, rolling her into one of the trauma room and shutting the doors. He was about to follow them into the room when another nurse gently touched his arm.

"Why don't you come with me to the waiting room." The nurse said "let them work on her."

"Can't I just go in there?" Sheldon asked, not wanting to leave Amy alone

"No, I'm sorry," the nurse answered "come on to the waiting room, I promise I will keep you filled in on what's going on."

Sheldon followed the nurse out to the waiting room, taking the first seat he found. He put his head in his hands and noticed for the first time that he had blood on his hands, but surprisingly wasn't bothered by it as much as he usually would be. It wasn't long before Leonard and Penny came rushing through the doors and over to Sheldon.

"How is she?" Penny asked. "Did they say anything?"

"No," Sheldon answered, staring at the floor "they just took her into a room and sent me out here to wait."

"She's in good hands." Leonard said, sitting next to Sheldon and patting him on the back.

"So we called Howard and Bernadette and they are going to call Raj." Penny said, sitting next to Leonard.

"Wait, shouldn't we call Amy's mother?" Leonard asked

"I don't know," Penny answered "they don't talk much, Amy said they aren't that close."

"Don't call her" Sheldon said, taking his eyes off of the floor to look at them. "Wait until we talk to Amy and see what she wants to do."

"Okay sweetie," Penny said "that's a good idea."

"If you guy's will excuse me I am going to go wash my hands." Sheldon said, staring at his hands and the constant reminder of seeing Amy surrounded by it.

"Of course." Penny said

"Hold on, I will go with you." Leonard said, getting up and following Sheldon.

Sheldon and Leonard were silent as they walked to the bathroom and it wasn't until they were on the way back to the waiting room that either of them spoke.

"I should have told her before." Sheldon said quietly

"Told her what?" Leonard asked

"That I love her." Sheldon answered "I never told her, I was afraid of our relationship changing and now I am wishing that I had just told her. Maybe then she wouldn't have thought she couldn't tell me about her father."

Leonard didn't say anything, knowing that nothing he could say would make Sheldon feel any better. Once they got back to the waiting room they sat back down with Penny and continued to wait for news on Amy. It was only about ten minutes later that Howard, Bernadette and Raj came rushing through the doors and over to them.

"Do you know anything yet?" Howard asked

"No, no one has come out yet" Penny answered, standing up to hug Bernadette

"How are you doing Sheldon?" Bernadette asked, reaching out tentatively and putting a hand on his shoulder

"I just can't believe this is happening" Sheldon answered, not even flinching when Bernadette touched him "I wish I knew how she was."

Everyone sat down to wait for news, occasionally looking towards the doors and hoping to see someone coming out of them. It seemed like hours but was really only about fifteen minutes before someone was making their way towards them.

"Excuse me, are you the guy who came in with Amy Fowler?" he asked, and then after getting a confirming nod from Sheldon, continued "I am Dr. Smith, one of the doctors working on Amy when she came in."

"How is she?" Sheldon asked, everyone else staring at the doctor waiting for an answer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Big Bang Theory.**

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews!**

"Amy has been taken into surgery" Dr. Smith began "she has some internal bleeding that they are going to repair."

"Oh my god!" Penny whispered, tears forming in her and Bernadette's eyes

"When she was first brought in from the ambulance her blood pressure was very low, which suggested that she was losing blood somewhere. " Dr. Smith continued "Our first thought was the head wound, but that was quickly ruled out and we figured it must be internal."

"She is going to be okay though, right?" Sheldon asked, his face getting paler by the second.

"Unfortunately I cannot guarantee anything, she has already lost a lot of blood," Dr. Smith said "but I can assure that the surgical team working on her is top notch. She also sustained a lot of blunt force trauma, most likely the result of someone kicking her repeatedly. Most of it was to the chest and abdomen resulting in two broken ribs."

"That son of a bitch" Sheldon spat out angrily, all of his friends looking just as angry.

"We believe the broken rib is what caused the bleed," Dr. Smith said "she also has a complication called a Pneumothorax."

"I'm sorry but what?" Penny asked

"It more often is referred to as a collapsed lung." Dr. Smith explained "we believe one of the ribs punctured the lung, causing air to escape from the lung and fill the space outside of the lung. They will insert a chest tube to correct the problem, which will need to stay in place for the next few days."

"When can we see her?" Bernadette asked

"You can go up to the surgical waiting room and tell the nurse at the front desk who you are waiting for news on and she can give you a better time frame for when the surgery will be finished." Dr. Smith said "but before that there is a cop here who wants to talk to you guys about what happened."

The group looked up and noticed that there was a cop standing about 10 feet away, writing in a small notepad. Dr. Smith went over and said something to him before heading back through the doors that lead to the Emergency Room. The cop finished what he was writing and then headed over to the group of friends.

"Hi everyone, I'm Officer Daniels," he said, looking around at all of them "which of you were the ones that found Ms. Fowler?"

"We were." Leonard answered, pointing to himself, Sheldon and Penny.

"Okay, I have some questions for you three." Officer Daniels said

"Can we go up to the waiting room?" Bernadette asked, gesturing to herself, Howard and Raj.

"Yes I suppose that would be okay." Officer Daniels answered

"We will head up there," Bernadette said, going over and hugging Sheldon, who surprisingly hugged her back "and let you know if we find anything out before you get up there."

"Thanks Bernadette." Sheldon said, watching the three of them leave.

"Okay let's start with names and how you know Ms. Fowler." Officer Daniels said.

"I'm Penny, and I'm Amy's best friend." Penny said

"Dr. Sheldon Copper, I'm her boyfriend" Sheldon said

"I'm Dr. Leonard Hofstadter; I'm Sheldon's roommate and also friends with Amy." Leonard said

"Okay good," Officer Daniels said, writing everything down "now tell me what all of you were doing at her apartment."

"Well, I was worried because I couldn't get ahold of Amy." Penny said "she had confided in me a few days ago about her dad getting out a jail, she was worried he was going to come looking for her. I convinced her to stay at my place tonight and when she didn't show up by seven I started getting worried."

"Did you try calling her before you went over?" Officer Daniels asked

"Yes, I called several times and sent out several texts." Penny said "when she didn't answer any of them, I went across the hall to see if Sheldon had heard from her."

"Okay, so all of you live in the same building." Officer Daniels confirmed "this is a different building than Ms. Fowler correct?"

"Yes" Leonard answered

"Okay." Officer Daniels said "what happened next?"

"Penny came over to see if we had heard from Amy;" Sheldon started "I had been trying to reach her through several different electronic communications but was unfortunately having no luck either."

"Is it unusual for her to be unreachable?" Officer Daniels asked.

"Yes, she always answers." Sheldon answered "we were supposed to spend the evening together but she had texted me around 4:30 and said that she was tired and didn't feel like doing anything."

"That was around the time I had talked her into staying at my place." Penny said "I called her when I got off work to check up on her, I've been worried since she told me about her dad."

"What did she say when you spoke with her?" Officer Daniels asked

"She said she was doing okay, she was trying to sound like she wasn't bothered by the whole thing." Penny answered "I didn't believe her so I kept pressing the issue; finally she admitted that she hadn't been sleeping well at her place because she kept thinking every little noise was her father breaking in."

"Did she have any reason to believe her father was going to come after her?" Officer Daniels asked

"She had told me that when she was younger he used to hit her and her mother." Penny said "she said that it went on for years and finally when she was about 10 she told her teacher what was going on and begged her to help them. Apparently her father knew she had turned him in and he was very angry."

"Yes we have looked into his history," Officer Daniels said "okay so what happened after none of you could get ahold of her?"

Sheldon, Penny and Leonard filled Officer Daniels in on what had happened the rest of the evening up until the point when the ambulance had arrived. After he was satisfied that he had all of the information that he needed, Officer Daniels handed them his card and told them to call him if anything else came up. The three friends then headed up to the surgical waiting room and found Howard, Bernadette and Raj sitting in one area of the room.

"Any news?" Sheldon asked as soon as they reached them.

"No not yet." Bernadette answered "but they promised to let us know as soon as the surgery was over. The nurse said it could still be awhile."

"Does anyone want anything to drink?" Penny asked "I was going to go down and get some coffee."

"I'll go with you." Bernadette offered

After getting everyone's drink order, Penny and Bernadette left, leaving the four guys alone. No one knew what to say so they just sat silently, staring at the small TV in the corner. About two hours after the girls returned with the drinks a nurse came over to them.

"You guys are waiting for news on Amy Fowler right?" she asked.

"Yes we are." Sheldon said

"Her surgery is done and they have moved her to the recovery area." The nurse said "she will have to stay there for about an hour, and then she will be moved to a regular room."

"When can we see her?" Penny asked

"Unfortunately you will have to wait until she gets moved to her room." The nurse said "like I said it will be about an hour until she is moved so you have awhile if you want to go get something to eat. She will be in room 381."

"Okay thanks" Penny answered.

The group of friends were disappointed that they still had to wait another hour before they could see Amy, but figured they would take the nurses advise and went down to the cafeteria to get some food. Sheldon didn't have much of an appetite and spent most of the time they were down there pushing his food around on his plate. Finally they decided that enough time had passed and that they were going to check and see if Amy was in her room yet. They were all relieved when they reached room 381 and saw that there was a person in there. There relief was short lived once they walked into her room and saw just how bad she looked. Bruises seemed to cover every inch of what they could see of her body, her lip was swelled up, she had a wrap around her left wrist. There was a tube coming out of her chest and connected to a machine that was running it, she had an IV hooked up and was currently receiving blood to replace what she had lost, and she had an oxygen mask on. Sheldon walked slowly up to the right side of her bed, his eyes never leaving her, and gently picked up her right hand. He bent down and softly kissed her hand and before he could stop himself he had tears streaming down his face. His friends noticed and decided to stay back for a moment and give him some privacy.

"Oh Amy, I am so sorry." Sheldon whispered "I should have come over sooner when I couldn't get ahold of you."

No one said anything as they all walked closer to the bed, but Leonard came up behind his best friend putting an arm around his shoulders. As they were all standing around her bed, Sheldon suddenly felt the hand he was holding move.

"Her hand just moved," Sheldon said "I think she is waking up."

Everyone stared down at Amy hoping that Sheldon was right and that he wasn't just imagining her hand moving. All six of them jumped in surprise when Amy's eyes slowly started opening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Big Bang Theory.**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has reviewed! I am glad to see that people have been enjoying it! **

Amy opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the lights. The first thing she noticed was Sheldon staring at her, then her mind registered that someone was holding onto her hand. She looked around confusedly for a couple of seconds, reaching up with her hand to try and remove the oxygen mask.

"Hold on" Sheldon said, grabbing her hand back "you have to leave that on until the doctor says you can take it off"

"Oh my god Amy," Penny said "we have been so worried about you, thank god you are awake."

"Do you think we should get the nurse?" Bernadette asked

"Yes" Sheldon said, not taking his eyes off Amy "I'm sure the doctors will want to know that she's up now."

While Bernadette was looking for a nurse, everyone else took turns telling Amy how relieved they were that she was okay. No one mentioned the fact that they had been afraid they might lose her. A few minutes later, Bernadette came back in the room with a nurse in tow.

"Hi Amy, I'm your nurse for the night" she said "my name is Sally; I'm going to get that mask off and switch you to a nasal cannula."

Everyone stepped aside to give Sally room to check on Amy. Soon enough the mask was gone and Amy could talk again.

"How are you feeling?" Sally asked as she took her vital signs.

"Like I was run over by a semi" Amy joked, giving an unconvincing smile "what happened exactly?"

"You don't remember?" Sally asked, looking worried

"Well I remember my father coming into my apartment, he hit me and then when I was on the ground he kicked" Amy said, not noticing the look of fury that crossed Sheldon's face "and then I don't remember much after that."

"Oh okay, good" Sally said, looking more relieved "I was afraid you had lost your memory. Okay I am going to do an examination on you, it would probably be better if your friends stepped out."

"Can Sheldon stay?" Amy asked, her voice barely above a whisper "I mean if he doesn't mind."

"Of course I am staying." Sheldon answered

"That is no problem with me, whatever makes you feel more comfortable." Sally said

Everyone else turned to go, telling Sheldon to come get them from the waiting room when they could come back. Sally started to examine Amy, Sheldon let out a low hiss when she went to exam her abdomen and it was covered in bruises.

"Are you okay Sheldon?" Amy asked, looking up at him, confused.

"How can you ask if I am okay, when you are laying here like this?" Sheldon said, disbelievingly "and yes I am fine, this is just the first time I have seen those bruises."

"Can you turn on your side honey?" Sally asked softly

"Yes I believe so." Amy answered, turning onto her right side giving Sally and Sheldon a good look at her back with was covered with more bruises.

"Okay, Amy I am all done." Sally said "I am going to page the surgeon who put in your chest tube and he will probably be in to see you sometime tonight."

"Okay, thank you" Amy said, turning back around to lie on her back

After promising to go inform their friends that they could come back, Sally left the room, leaving Amy and Sheldon alone for a few minutes.

"Thank you for staying with me Sheldon." Amy said, suddenly feeling shy.

"Of course I would stay with you." Sheldon said, coming back to her side "I am going to stay with you as long as you are here."

"Oh Sheldon that's sweet but you don't have to." Amy said looking up at him "I know you hate hospitals."

"I don't care about that right now." Sheldon said "I just don't want to leave you alone here."

"I'm sure Penny or Bernadette would stay." Amy insisted, knowing how hard it is for Sheldon to be in hospitals.

"I am your boyfriend." Sheldon said, taking her hand again "I want to stay with you and I am."

"Okay good." Amy said, smiling at him "I would rather have you here."

Just then everyone came back into the room, Penny and Bernadette stepped up to the left side of the bed and the guys crowded around Sheldon.

"How are you doing sweetie?" Penny asked, putting a hand on Amy's arm

"Okay I guess," Amy said "I'm sorry to make everyone worry so much."

"Don't you dare apologize to us." Sheldon said "this is not your fault."

"So I guess you all know about my father by now?" Amy asked

"I told them when we couldn't get ahold of you." Penny said "Please don't be mad."

"Of course I am not mad." Amy said "I should have told everyone myself."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sheldon blurted out before he could stop himself "I wasn't going to ask now, but I have to know."

"I'm sorry Sheldon." Amy said, looking guilty "I didn't tell you because I never tell anyone, I only told Penny because I had just heard that he was released from jail and I was upset. I needed to tell someone who could comfort me and I didn't think you would want to."

"I am sorry, I know in the past I haven't been the best person to come to with a problem." Sheldon said "but I want that to change, I want you to be able to tell me anything."

Everyone looked at Sheldon, shocked that he would apologize and admit that he needed to change his behavior. Amy squeezed his hand, tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. Penny and Bernadette both gave him looks of approval, happy that he was treating their friend the way she deserved. After about an hour of visiting with Amy, her friends could tell she was tired so they decided to leave for the night. Everyone looked surprised again when Sheldon announced that he would be staying with her at the hospital. After everyone had gone, the surgeon came into the room and introduced himself to Amy and Sheldon. He explained that Amy had lost a lot of blood due to internal bleeding but that he had repaired the bleed and she was given blood to replace what was lost. He explained why she needed the chest tube and that it would probably have to stay in place for a couple of days but that she should be fine.

"Are you doing okay?" Sheldon asked after the surgeon had left "are you in pain or anything?"

"A little." Amy admitted

"I will get the nurse for you and tell her you need something for pain." Sheldon said

"Wait, I can page her from here." Amy said, stopping Sheldon from leaving "there is a button built into the bed."

"What can I do for you Amy?" Sally asked as she came into the room a few minutes later.

"Is it possible to get something for the pain?" Amy asked

"Of course, I will go and get you something." Sally answered leaving the room and returning a minute after with a syringe that she hooked into Amy's IV.

"This should start working for you soon." Sally said "it will probably make you sleepy, don't try to fight it. You need your rest so your body can heal."

Sheldon pulled a chair over to the side of Amy's bed, watching as she quickly fell asleep. He sat staring at her for a while, so happy that she was okay. He decided right then and there that he needed to step up and be a better boyfriend for her. As he sat there watching her sleep he tried to come up with a way to show her how much he loved her. Sheldon rested his head on the edge of Amy's bed and just as he was about to fall asleep, he figured out what he needed to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Big Bang Theory.**

Amy awoke slowly the next morning, squinting as the light coming in from the window hit her eyes. Once her eyes were adjusted to the light, she looked down and saw that Sheldon was fast asleep in the chair next to her bed with his head on the bed. She was surprised to see that he had actually had stayed all night, she had figured that as soon as she had fallen asleep he would get out of there as fast as he could. Before she could put too much thought into this, she felt the bed move a little as Sheldon stirred.

"Good morning Amy." Sheldon said, smiling at her "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Not too bad." Amy answered "my chest is sore where this tube is but I can breathe a little better."

"Do you need the nurse?" Sheldon asked, concerned that she was in pain

"No I am okay really." Amy said, smiling at his concern for her "besides I'm sure she will be in soon."

Just as the words were out of her mouth, a man in scrubs walked through the door.

"Hi, my name is Greg." He said "I will be your nurse today."

"What happened to Sally?" Sheldon asked

"Well she was the night nurse." Greg explained "we change shifts at 7. So how are you doing today Amy?"

"Pretty good, it feels a lot easier to breath today." Amy answered

"Good." Greg said, looking at her chart "how is your pain?"

"Well I'm kind of sore all over but it hurts the most where this chest tube is," Amy answered "at my wrist."

"Okay, well I will go and get you something for that," Greg said "and then we will do a quick examination."

"What kind of examination?" Sheldon asked, not pleased with having another guy examine Amy.

"Nothing to invasive, just getting blood pressure and respiratory rate," Greg said "and checking the chest tube and incision from the surgery."

Greg turned and left the room to get Amy's pain medication, Sheldon frowning as he left. Amy smiled to herself, knowing that Sheldon wasn't pleased that her new nurse was a man. She was half expecting him to pull out the relationship contract and tell her that she was breaking some kind of rule in it about having a male nurse.

"Sheldon you don't have to worry about Greg." Amy said "this is just his job."

"I know." Sheldon answered, turning to look at her "you're right, sorry."

"It's okay." Amy said, shocked that he was apologizing again.

"I'm going to step out to call Leonard." Sheldon said "see what time they are coming."

"Okay cuddles" Amy said jokingly, smiling widely when she saw a small smile cross his features.

Sheldon turned to leave the room, passing Greg on his way back in with Amy's medication. Sheldon was almost tempted to stay in the room with them but then he remembered what Amy had said, so he kept going to the waiting room to call Leonard. After finding out that Leonard and Penny were on their way, Sheldon went back to Amy's room to find her sitting up, eating breakfast.

"Leonard and Penny are on their way." Sheldon told Amy "do you mind if I run home and take a quick shower."

"Of course not." Amy said "go get cleaned up, I'm not going anywhere."

Sheldon came over to the bed and picked up one of her hands, kissing it before turning to leave. Amy stared after him, still shocked at this new Sheldon. She smiled to herself, thinking that maybe she had been wrong about him after all.

"Hey sweetie!" Penny said "how are you doing today?"

"I actually feel pretty good," Amy answered "I mean obviously still in some pain, but not bad considering. Hey where's Leonard?"

"Oh we ran into Sheldon on his way out so Leonard offered to give him a ride home." Penny answered, taking a seat in the chair Sheldon had spent the night it.

"Okay good, I need to talk to you about something." Amy started "I assume you guys have talked to the police?"

"Yeah, we talked to them last night in the ER waiting room." Penny answered "the guy we talked to said they would be back to talk to you once you were in a stable condition."

"Okay good, did you tell them about my father?" Amy asked

"Of course I did." Penny answered "I mean it was him right?"

"Yes it was him." Amy answered "and I have proof."

"What do you mean?" Penny asked, confused

"I had a feeling last night," Amy started "I just knew he would show up, I know there is no scientific logic behind it and I can't explain it but I just knew. I planted a couple of video cameras around my apartment, really well hidden but with a view of everything."

"Wait a minute," Penny interrupted "are you telling me you waited for him to show up and hurt you?"

"Yes." Amy said "I waited for him so that when he hurt me this time I would have solid, on camera proof. I knew you would be wondering where I was when I didn't show up and I was hoping you would call the police to come check my apartment out."

"I can't believe you would do that Amy!" Penny said "what if we hadn't gotten there on time? What if he would have killed you while he was attacking you?"

"I know it was a dangerous idea." Amy said "but I couldn't live my life always worrying that he is going to show up, and I really couldn't put you or Sheldon or anyone else in danger. I did what I had to do to end this, one way or another."

"Amy, I don't know what to say" Penny said, tears in her eyes

"I know, and I'm sorry for putting you guys through all of this." Amy said "but I don't want Sheldon to find out, he won't understand."

"How are you going to keep this from him?" Penny asked

"I want you to help me keep him out of the room while I talk to the police." Amy answered "take him for lunch or something. Please Penny, he has just started to act almost exactly like I have been wishing for and I am afraid this will ruin it. Sheldon doesn't understand things the way other people do and he will be angry with me."

"Okay, of course I will help you." Penny said, grabbing one of Amy's hands "but just for the record I am a little angry with you myself, but mostly I am just so relieved that you are okay."

Amy and Penny sat together talking for about an hour before Sheldon and Leonard came back. Sheldon came in and went right to Amy's side, kissing her softly on the lips when he got there. Leonard and Penny watched in awe, both thrilled to see their friend's so happy. It wasn't too long until Howard, Bernadette and Raj showed up. The group sat around talking and laughing everyone so relieved that Amy was still with them. There was a knock on the door a couple of hours late and everyone looked up to see Officer Daniels entering the room.

"Hi everyone." he said, nodding at Sheldon, Leonard and Penny "I'm Officer Daniels."

Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj all introduced themselves, then at Amy's look Penny stood and suggested they all go down for lunch and give Amy some privacy. Everyone but Sheldon started heading to the door.

"I will stay with Amy." Sheldon said

"No Sheldon you go with them." Amy insisted "you go and have some lunch and let me talk to the police, I promise I will be fine."

"Are you sure?" Sheldon asked

"Of course I am sure." Amy answered "you go and bring me back something chocolate, okay."

"Okay, I will be back soon." Sheldon said, heading to the door "call my cell if you need me."

Sheldon joined his friends in the hall and they all headed down to the cafeteria, Penny looking back at Amy's room one more time. Once they got into the cafeteria, everyone grabbed a tray and got something to eat. After they all had their food and were settled in at a table, Sheldon cleared his throat and looked up from his plate.

"Everyone I have something to tell you." Sheldon started, and then once he had everyone's attention he continued "I have decided to ask Amy to marry me."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Big Bang Theory.**

The whole table sat, staring at Sheldon with the same shocked face. Then all at once four different voices sounded at the same time.

"What!" Penny said.

"Are you serious?" Leonard asked.

"This can't be happening." Howard said.

"Oh My God!" Bernadette said.

Raj who hadn't had any alcohol just sat there unable to speak.

"I don't understand why everyone is so shocked by this." Sheldon said "we have been together for a while."

"Listen sweetie," Penny started "we all love you and Amy and we really love you two together but this is way too fast."

"What do you mean?" Sheldon asked, confused.

"Well first of all you just started touching her without flinching every time." Penny said "and second you haven't even told her that you love her."

"Well that may be true." Sheldon said "but I was going to tell her when I proposed."

"She just went through a trauma Sheldon." Penny said "I just don't think she is ready for this right now. Tell you love her; let her know that you are serious about this but just hold off on the proposal."

"Is this how you all feel about this?" Sheldon asked, everyone nodding slowly.

"I mean of course ultimately it's your decision." Leonard said "but I do think that you should wait a little longer."

Sheldon picked up his fork and started eating again, letting the conversation run through his head. As much as he had thought about this proposal in his head, he hadn't even considered that it wasn't the right time for Amy. Maybe his friends were right, but he couldn't help but feel like no matter what Amy was the woman he was going to marry.

The six friends headed back up to Amy's room just in time to see the cops leaving her room. Everyone filed in and went to stand on both sides of her bed.

"How did it go?" Sheldon asked "what did they say?"

"It went pretty good," Amy answered "luckily his prints were all over my apartment and one of the neighbors saw him leaving so if they find him they should have no trouble prosecuting him."

"That's good." Sheldon said everyone else nodding in agreement "Amy I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay go ahead." Amy said, clearly taken aback.

"I know I should have been more open with you before, maybe none of this would have happened if you had felt that you could come to me for help," Sheldon started "and I will always regret that."

"Sheldon, this is not your fault." Amy said

"I know, but I will always wonder what would have happened if I had known." Sheldon said "but I have to tell you now, that I want that to change."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, looking confused.

"I mean that I love you Amy Farrah Fowler." Sheldon said "I love you more than anything, more than I ever thought I could love someone who wasn't my mother of meemaw."

Amy stared at Sheldon for a few seconds before tears started falling from her eyes. Sheldon looked around at all of his friends, clearly confused as to what had her so upset.

"Amy, what's wrong?" Sheldon asked "I didn't want to upset you; I thought this would make you happy."

"It does make me happy." Amy said, wiping her eyes with the tissue that Penny had handed her. "I just don't want you to say it because of what happened, I want you to really mean it and I'm afraid you don't."

"Amy, I do love you." Sheldon said, sitting on the side of her bed and taking her hand in his. "I have loved you for a long time and just haven't known how to express it."

"I love you too Sheldon." Amy said, tears still coming from her eyes. "I am so sorry that I didn't tell you."

"I know." Sheldon said, pulling Amy into a hug and holding her as she cried.

Amy couldn't seem to stop the tears that kept falling from her eyes, so she just let herself cry into Sheldon's shoulder. Their friends slowly left the room, wanting to give the couple their privacy. Sheldon held Amy for about five minutes before she started to calm down enough to talk.

"Amy what's wrong?" Sheldon asked clearly concerned "are you in pain."

"It's not that" Amy said, trying to compose herself "I just don't understand how you can love me so much and my own father hates me enough to try to kill me."

"Oh Amy" Sheldon said, his heart breaking for her "I am so sorry."

"It's okay; it's not your fault." Amy said "and hopefully it's over now."

"Oh you don't have to worry about that." Sheldon said, a look of anger flashing across his face "he will never touch you again, I will make sure of that."

Sheldon pulled Amy into another embrace and held her for a few minutes, kissing her forehead. Leonard poked his head back in the room and after seeing Sheldon wave him inside, he came into the room.

"I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." Leonard said

"Everything is fine." Amy answered "actually I am a little tired, I think I will take a nap. Sheldon why don't you let Leonard take you home for a while, go home and have dinner and then come back this evening."

"I don't want to leave you alone." Sheldon insisted "I don't mind staying."

"No really." Amy said "I could use a little alone time, the nurses are just a call button away. It will only be for a few hours."

"Well if you are sure." Sheldon said, looking unsure himself "I guess it would be nice to sit in my spot for a little bit."

"Good." Amy said, smiling at him "go home and enjoy your spot, I will see you in a few hours."

"I love you." Sheldon said, bending down to give her a kiss.

"I love you too." Amy said

Sheldon and Leonard left the room together and went down to the waiting room to find everyone else. Once they found their friends, they explained to everyone that Amy wanted to be alone for a while and that they would all come back after dinner. Everyone separated into different cars, Sheldon going with Leonard and Penny while Raj, Howard and Bernadette left in her car.

"Penny," Sheldon said, getting her attention "thank you for your advice, I think you were right."

"About what sweetie?" Penny asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear him say it.

"Amy wasn't ready for me to propose." Sheldon said "I am glad you talked me out of it."

"It's not that I don't think you should ever propose." Penny said.

"I know." Sheldon said "Don't worry I have every intention of proposing eventually."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Big Bang Theory.**

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews! I hope everyone has enjoyed this as much as I have enjoyed writing it!**

One month later

Amy sat in Penny's apartment, waiting for her bestie to finish getting dressed. They were going to go on a double date with Sheldon and Leonard. It had been a month since that night when her father had shown up at her apartment. Amy was so relieved with how things had turned out since then, her father was back in jail and she and Sheldon were doing great. She still hadn't told anyone besides Penny about the video cameras and she probably never would.

"How does this look Ame's?" Penny asked, coming out of her room in a black mini dress.

"It looks perfect Penny." Amy said "Are you sure this looks okay on me?"

"Of course." Penny said, checking out the outfit she had picked out for Amy, a knee length deep purple dress. "You look hot!"

"Thanks bestie!" Amy said, just as there was a knock at the door.

Penny went over to open the door, where the two guys were waiting for them. Both looked extremely handsome in their suits. Leonard greeted Penny at the door with a kiss, but Sheldon walked right past them and over to Amy.

"Good evening Amy." Sheldon said, kissing her cheek "you look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you Sheldon." Amy said "you look pretty good yourself."

"You guys ready?" Leonard asked

"Yep." Penny answered "let's go."

"So where are we going?" Amy asked, as they walked down the stairs.

"We thought it would be fun to try that new French restaurant that just opened." Sheldon answered, as he held the door to Leonard's car opened for Amy.

"That sounds nice." Penny said

They drove in a comfortable silence to the restaurant, getting there in about ten minutes. Once they walked in the restaurant, Sheldon went to speak to the hostess for a moment, and then they were seated at a table where Howard, Bernadette and Raj were all waiting.

"What are you guys doing here?" Amy asked, surprised to see her other friends.

"Oh I'm sorry Amy." Sheldon said "I forgot to tell you that I invited the whole group."

"That's okay." Amy said, sitting in the chair that Sheldon had pulled out for her. "I was just surprised to see everyone.

Once everyone was seated and they had ordered their meals, the group sat and talked and had a great time together. While they were just finishing up dessert, Amy was looking around at her group of friends and thinking that life couldn't get much better than this.

"Excuse me everyone." Sheldon said suddenly, standing up, clinking his fork and the side of his glass.

"Amy, the time we have spent together has been the best time of my life," Sheldon started, dropping to one knee and taking her left hand. "I had a big speech planned out for this but as I stood here before you I couldn't seem to remember any of it. So let me just get to the most important part, Amy Farrah Fowler I love you. Will you marry me?"

Amy sat there staring at Sheldon, wide eyed for a few seconds which seemed like an eternity to Sheldon. "Yes of course I will." Amy said, throwing her arms around his neck "definitely."

Sheldon returned the hug and then took her left hand again and placed the ring her had picked out the day before with Penny and Bernadette on her hand. They both stood up and embraced again as the whole restaurant started to applaud and cheer. Once they had separated, their group of friends rushed over to congratulate them.

"Oh my god." Penny said, brushing the tears out of her eyes "that was so beautiful!"

"Congrats buddy." Leonard said, pulling Sheldon into a hug, Sheldon tensing up at first.

"This is so exciting!" Bernadette said, hugging Amy after Penny let her go.

"I still can't believe that Sheldon is getting married." Howard said, Raj nodding his head next to him "but seriously I am happy for you guys."

"We have to start planning the wedding tomorrow." Penny exclaimed turning to Amy and Bernadette "come over to my place tomorrow morning."

Amy laughed at her friend's enthusiasm, nodding her head in agreement. Sheldon took her hand then and when she turned to look at him, he was looking at her with so much love that it made her heart melt. As they stood there staring at each other, all of their friends watching them, they both couldn't wait to start their lives together.

**That's it everyone, thanks again for reading and for all of the reviews. I am considering doing a sequel that will center around them planning the wedding, let me know what you think!**


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